Swinney not fazed by being ACC media’s favorite

PINEHURST, N.C. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney thinks there are a number of teams that can win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 2015 — his team included.

The media, however, sees Swinney’s squad as the one that stands above the rest.

The Tigers were selected Tuesday as the preseason favorite to win the league title by a wide margin, the conference announced at ACC Kickoff in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Clemson sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson was named preseason player of the year in the league as well.

As a team, Clemson received 84 votes, more than half of Florida State, to take the conference, but it’s not something Swinney pays much attention to in July.

“Whether or not we should be first or whatever, that’s for people to debate,” Swinney said. “When it’s all said and done, those who voted for us, hopefully we can make them look smart and see if we can put the performance on Saturdays together.”

It marks the eighth time since 1976 that Clemson’s been picked to win the ACC, and it’s just the fourth year the Tigers have been voted No. 1 since Florida State joined the league in 1992. However, they’ve never won it when picked in the preseason during that span.

“Sometimes it’s the luck of the draw. Sometimes it’s not. This year I think we have that championship-caliber schedule,” Clemson senior offensive guard Eric Mac Lain said Monday in Pinehurst. “So if we take care of business, business will take care of us.”

The Seminoles have been predicted to finish first in three out of the last four years and 18 times in the last 25 years, but they’re replacing QB Jameis Winston with former Notre Dame QB and Myrtle Beach native Everett Golson while starting running back Dalvin Cook is currently suspended for being charged with assaulting a female.

“When we were the favorite, they didn’t give me the trophy,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “When you’re the underdog, they’re not giving Clemson the trophy. It’s all about how you perceive yourself in going at it. It’s great to have the expectations. Clemson deserves it. They’re a great program. Dabo has done a great job.”

Georgia Tech, which visits Death Valley on Oct. 10, was selected to win the Coastal Division, earning 52 more votes than second-place Virginia Tech.

Clemson, which was last picked to win in 2013, also received 101 first-place votes in the Atlantic Division on Tuesday; FSU had 56.

“The next step for us, we’ve got to get back to winning this conference,” Swinney said. “That’s the thing. We’ve won the division. We’ve tied for the division. We’ve finished second in the division. We’ve won the conference. But we’ve got to consistently stay right there. I think we’ve done that, but we’ve got to get back to winning this league if we’re going to truly have a legitimate shot at the College Football Playoff. That’s ultimately what we’re trying to do.”

Watson is a major reason why the expectations are so high in Tiger Town. After throwing for 1,466 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games (five starts) in an injury-shortened season, the Gainesville, Georgia, native received 69 votes from the ACC media. That’s 23 more votes than Pitt running back James Connor, the 2014 postseason player of the year in the conference.

“It’s an honor for him. It’s a privilege and a blessing for us to have a guy like that on our team,” Swinney said. “We’re very fortunate to have a bunch of good players, but especially one like Deshaun because he’s a good player but he’s a great young man.

“He loves the process of being prepared and he just has a work ethic that’s contagious. That’s what we need for him. Last year he was trying to become the guy and this year he is the guy. We need him to assert himself that way from a leadership standpoint. He’s done a great job of that this summer.”

Watson ranked first in Clemson history in passing efficiency and completion percentage by a freshman, as well as first in school history in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense by a first-year freshman.

Watson, who is coming off December knee surgery for a torn ACL, is expected to be full-go when Clemson begins fall camp Aug. 4, but he’s been garnering plenty of hype since even before his stellar freshman season.

“I think that he is everything that everyone says,” Mac Lain said. “He has a lot to prove with the injury bug and all that stuff, but he’s been working hard in the training room He’s working hard in the weight room. I really think he’s going to take that next step.”